Locked In
by The Dark Crimson Blood
Summary: Today, parents will leave their children locked inside cars. (Part of The World Today series(#3)


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Title**: Left Behind  
**Words**: 1,670  
**Genres**: Angst, Tragedy  
**Author: **_The Dark Crimson Blood_  
**Summary**: A four year old Luffy's left in a car during a heat storm. Part 3 of '**The World Today'** series

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Ace sits in front of the television with his little brother lying against him, half asleep and barely watching the cartoons he insisted on watching. Ace smiles down at Luffy's sleeping figure, bringing his brother further into his lap. He's wary of the formal clothing he dons for a speech he's supposed to make as the school's representative due to him getting the best grades in his class.

Having not gotten enough sleep last night, he rests his head against his brother's and closes his eyes for just a second. However, when he finally opens them again, he finds that he's accidentally rolled onto the remote and he is now watching the weather channel. He listens to it for just a few minutes before zoning out again.

"Weather's in the nineties today…" He mutters underneath his breath, his mind still half asleep seeing as he forgets to register the person he's talking to is sleeping. "Maybe we'll get to go swimming."He drifts off again.

When he opens his eyes for the second time, his mother is shaking his side shoulder roughly, and he snaps up in a second- careful not to wake his little brother. "ACE!" She yells at him, flicking his forehead hard enough to leave a small red mark. Ace clicks his tongue and rubs his forehead, "You've got five minutes to brush your teeth, fix your suit, and get outside!"

Ace springs to his feet in an instant and salutes his mother, "Yes sir!"

A stress mark appears on her face, "I'm a woman!"

Five minutes later, Ace stands outside as he waits for his mother, who is just finishing her lockup on the house. She easily shoves the keys into her pocket, and soon afterwards Ace feels his mother tug softly on his arm with her only free hand; in her other arm she carries a four year old child with big eyes and messy hair. Ace doesn't complain as he's told to get into the car, in which he sits in the passenger seat and quickly buckles himself in. His mother closes the car door behind him and quickly moves to buckle her son into his car seat. Luffy, being the tiny toddler he is, giggles at his mother's disheveled appearance and pulls on her hair.

The rush of the moment getting to her, she hits his hand away and slams the car door. She quickly sits down in the driver's seat and starts the car. It takes just ten minutes to get to their destination, and Ace automatically steps out of the car. Her hair and make-up was adjusted, though she had a horrible headache from the constant cries of Ace's baby brother.

Ace feels his mother run her fingers through his hair in an attempt to adjust it before she kisses him on the forehead and gives him a tight hug. Ace blushes from embarrassment, he's fourteen years old and yet his mother still does this. "Let's get inside, okay?" She asks, pushing him forwards with a gentle touch.

He freezes after taking only a few steps; he turns to his mother with a questioning gaze and asks,

"What… what about Luffy?"

His mother doesn't glance back once at the car where a toddler finally wipes his tears and leans against the window, closing his eyes in another attempt to fall asleep.

"He'll be loud if we take him inside, he's cranky today after all. " She replies with a quick wave of dismissal. "He's able to sleep silently in there; as long as we lock it he'll be fine."

"I guess its fine…" Ace says with a sigh, running hand behind his neck as to avoid touching he kempt hair. "Let's be quick then."

Ace sends one sparring glance back towards his little brother before walking into the building.

Luffy wakes up with a yawn and a surprisingly uncomfortable feeling lurking in his head. It's really hot, he thinks as he stares briefly outside the window only to turn away just as the sun shines into his eyes. The pavement was practically radiating with heat, and it was only worse inside the car. He tries to swallow, but his mouth is just as dry as his mouth. There's an bottle of water in the front seat that he just can't reach because he's trapped in his car seat. With tiny hands, he wipes the sweat off of his forehead and then wipes his hand on his dark red shirt.

He squirms in his seat, getting even more uncomfortable by the minute. It's hard to breathe because of how stuffy the air is. He looks at the window opposite of the sun, finding the window- and every other window in the terribly heated car is closed. His eyebrows arch as he reaches for the window, but he retracts his hand the second it touches the burning hot surface. He looks down at his slightly red fingers that are painfully throbbing and he feels tears welling up in his eyes.

Well, he should feel them- but he doesn't. His eyes are dry, so he blinks a few times and sucks it in. He looks down on the various straps that keep him put, and he wonders how to undo them. Surly if he does he'll be able to get out- or at least get to the water, right? Maybe he'll even be able to reach the spare phone left in the car for emergencies?

He wonders for a moment, wondering if being hot is really an emergency. He's unsure, because it's really hard for him to think right now. He doesn't even know why his mother and Ace left him behind in the car; he wanted to cheer Ace on too! He bites his lip again, fiddling with the straps yet he doesn't even manage to get one undone. He roughly pulls at his arm to get it out from underneath the strap, and when he does he focuses on the other one.

Both his arms are free and he's able to lean just a little further now, but he still can't even reach the water bottle- let alone the phone. He puts his arms on the armrests of his seat and pushes himself up with wobbly, shaking arms. It takes some effort, but he finally manages to get his legs free. Finally free, he moves to get out of the car seat but stops when he hears a car door next to him. He turns his wide eyes excitedly, looking at the person who exits the car. A middle aged pair that doesn't spare a single glance at him, he opens his mouth to say something- as to scream as loud as he can but nothing comes out.

The couple passes right by him.

He bangs his tiny fist against the hot window, but pulls back his and the very second it touches the window. He clamps his mouth onto the throbbing flesh, but gets no comfort from it. He lets out a whimper, only now realizing how uneven his breaths are and how tight his chest is. He pushes forward to get the water bottle in the front of the car, but the second he pushes up; his vision blacks out and he falls forward and hits his head painfully on the seat in front of him.

A purple bruise forms on his sweaty, pale skin and he lets out a pained groan as his vision comes back to him. Finding that he can no longer muster the strength to stand up, let alone force himself forward. He uses the rest of his strength to pull himself forward a couple of inches across the hot black flooring.

He can finally reach the water bottle.

A tiny smile reaches his face, revealing cracked lips and a completely dry mouth. He goes into a short coughing fit after trying to congratulate himself vocally. He grabs the water bottle and brings it to his face, his vision already fading in the corners.

He opens the lid and brings it to his mouth.

There's not a single drop left in the bottle.

Ace walks back to the car alongside his mother with smiles brim on their faces, Ace holds a large trophy in his hands and his suit shirt is in his mother's arms. She ruffles his hair with a proud expression on her face. "I'm so proud of you," She announces, and he flushes and doesn't reply.

"I bet you can't wait to show him, huh?" She laughs, "This is one of the few times you're actually a good example for him."

He smirks, "No comment"

She laughs again as she opens the car door, but the second she does she freezes.

"Oh… Oh my god"

"What's wrong" Ace asks, moving towards his mother to see what could have freaked her out so much. "L-Luffy!" He cries when his eyes lie themselves on his brother's unmoving, limp body. He silently watches his mother bring the tiny four year old boy into her lap in an attempt to feel his nonexistent pulse. She pretends not to notice how cold his skin is, despite the horrible temperature in the car. She pretends to not notice his eyes, open and staring into nothingness. Lastly, pretends she doesn't notice his chest no longer moving up and down.

He's dead, and he's not coming back.

* * *

**In the world today, parents leave their children locked in cars.**


End file.
